The Dickinson press., 1887-07-09
JOB MOSES MILLIONS.
STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE
BRADFORD OIL FIELDS.

How = Rochester Till Man Found
Financial Succcss-Pushing tho Drill
in tho Vallcy-Going 200 Feet Deeper.
Tho Flood.
Job Moses was country boy, born some
where up about Leroy, N. ", who driftcd
into Rochester, while still in his teens, to
make his fortune In 1862 he had made it.
AMI n big one, out OF n patent pill that he or
some one else had invented. About that time
Oil Greek was i'll its glory, and tho news
papers teemed with accounts of tho fortunes
to he made out Of oil. The stories fired tho
imagination of tho Rochester pill man, and
he determined to try his hand at tho now
source of wealth.
upln tho northern part of Mexican county,
this state, and tho southern part of Cattarau-
gus county, N. Y, lies q valley which was
then and is yet ono of tho widest and most
forsaken sections of country to be found east
OF the Mississippi. Through this valley, then
given to numbering, Charles Alinot, who
USED to conduct tho Eric rond sometimes for
profit, but mostly for pleasure and glory, had
Tor some reason built n branch road which
ran through Bradford-which then boastcl
three houses, II blacksmith shop, school
house and tavcrn-anl terminated Mt tho
little lumber camp Of Gilcsvile
JOB Moses looked over the field, studied the
maps and finally made up his mind that tho
valley through which Minot's little railroad
ran was underlaid with one vast sen of oil
AS time passed on he became us certain as
tate that his conclusions were right. Ono
day he showed up i'll Bradford leased some
thousands OF acres, and soon had IL well under
way. The simple minded natives, who had
Thought him eccentric from the first, set him
down us lunatic when he told them TINT
the earnings of tho railroad which ran past
their door would soon be increased twenty
iol! and to this opinion they clung for many
long year.
PUSHING THE DRILL.
When Moses legan pushing tho drill in tho
valley many Of the oil kings of TODAY wrr,
unknown and unhearl of. John ID. l,ocla.
fcller, Oliver II. Payne and Bill Tholu,,sm,
had not yet matulrd their plans. Dan O'pny-
and H. L. Taylor would have looked upon
sl,0oO as fortune. Peter Grace and Can't.
j. j. Vandcrgrift had not yet returned from
the war. Col. Dyer was on farm down in
Maine The Mobiles, now the Standard on
company of Russia, We're making barrels in
logs up i'll AlleSany county, and Charley
Young was working for them at $40 n month
The Fishers and Phillips had their fortunes to
make, while Joo Craig was not vet out of tbc
primer, and John Mckcown was still dress
ing tools along tho creek.
For twelve years Job Moses, with dogred
resolution, sunk hole after hole in his leases,
but with no show of oil Then ho woke III,
tn G,,,1 t1,nk <l,a
had made out of pills in Rochester had ynn
ished into tho holes he had been puncbinp
i'll the woods and fields about Bradford and
mat nc was poor man. Disappointed, but
not discouraged, he went to New York, and
with an eloquenco born of earncstncss sue
cee'ed i'll obtaining from tho capitalists who
gave him II hearing money with which to
continue his search. This was in 1875. Once
bnck on his field of operations new i,lca
struck him. UP to that time he had drilled
all of his wells only 800 feet deep, the hor-
lzon at which oil was found along the creek
Perhaps there might DO a producing sand
still further down. He sunk one of his wells
200 feet deeper, and was rewarded with n
fifty barrel producer. Another and another
told the same or better story. Noses Ind
found the oil field for which lie had so long
been searching Every well he sunk raye
INN rich returns The news of his success
spread abroad and the tide of oildom turned
slowly toward Bro'lford. ~ year later it had
increased to II flood, and the fact was freely
admitted tllat no such field had ever been
struck before Lands which two years before
had been almost worthless sold for more than
princes ransom. But Moses had it all I'M
der lease and was able to mako his own
terms His thirteen years of waiting ncttcd
him millions. He lives in New Yorl, now
enjoys life, and always has spare $50 to loan
to any of the boys who happen to get broke in
the metropolis. Philadelphia Times